Happy Thanksgiving - Attitude of Gratitude
– A Personal Message from
Bart Castelli during Thanksgiving
The Thanksgiving Holiday
is rooted in gratitude. When the early pilgrims sat down to dinner they gave
thanks for their safety, thanks for the food they foraged and grew, and thanks
to the Indians for not killing them instantly! They thanked God for the wonders of this
magnificent country and they thanked each other for their support, love and
kindness, even as they were frightened about the future, afraid of the coming
winter, and missing the security they once knew. Does any of that sound familiar?
Giving thanks is not a
natural impulse. We say thank you when
anyone does something nice for us. By the way, did you know that the meaning of
‘nice’ is ‘socially acceptable’? Saying thank you is not only polite, but it
makes people feel good too.
But the gratitude I want
to speak about today is self-gratitude. I am grateful to be alive. I am
grateful for a loving family and lots of great friends who give my life
meaning. I am grateful for my wonderful
clients who trust me to help them shape their lives and finances, for the thousands
of experiences, good and bad that have shaped my life, for the family, friends,
colleagues, and referral partners who have shared of themselves while touching
my life and help make me into the man I am today.
Gratitude is the
awareness of all the good things that surround us, and which we consciously
acknowledge on a daily basis. That’s
why I start with the advice to write down what you are Grateful for – such as a
Gratitude Journal. It is a record of
where you have been, what has inspired you, and who you would like to
acknowledge as part of your history. This
is YOUR history of the good things in your life. Writing it down is an act of gratitude that
keeps on giving.
I have done this several
times around Thanksgiving, and each time it amazes me of all the fantastic times I’ve had, blessed by the
people I’ve met, worked with, dreamed with, laughed with, shared my life with
and the actions I’ve taken to maintain my life of purpose. It is a blessing to reflect on your life from
a gratitude perspective.
Being in gratitude is
not hard. Even when things may not be
going as smoothly as you would like, all it takes is a moment to reflect on
what is right, as opposed to what is wrong with your world. In those moments,
we find our gratitude. There is
gratitude in big things and in small. Sometimes we just have to look harder.
If you are not actively
practicing gratitude in your life, start now. I challenge you to keep a
gratitude journal – even if you do not write it down. Try to reflect at least one time each week, if
not more on what you are grateful for. Note the people, places, and actions you feel
inspired by, thankful for, and pay attention to the effect you have had on
others, and that they have had on you. It
does not need to be complicated. It can be as simple as a list.
Keep that going for the
next six months at least, and see what it does to your mindset.
Gratitude is an act of positivity, and when we
share our gratitude with others, it is the act that keeps on giving.
Gratitude is not just a
receiving vehicle. It is also a giving
one. We feel gratitude in helping others to achieve
something; we feel gratitude knowing we can make a difference. That is why I love the work I do, and why I
love delivering a mortgage or refinance to my clients and customers, I love the
blogging and marketing that I do that inspires you to think differently, take
different actions, and ultimately help you to create a meaningful life.
How many people do you
want to help today by giving them a compliment? How many people can you help to brighten up
their day by doing something for them that they didn’t ask for? What does gratitude look like in your life?
At the top of my list
right now is my gratitude for the people who have come together to help me
create an amazing life story. This year marked
the Fifty-Ninth Anniversary of my life. It has been interesting, inspiring,
challenging, but overall - a good time.
My heart and gratitude
go to these outstanding people who are here (as well as those who have gone
before us):
MY FAMILY – the love of my life who has been with me through thick and thin, Deborah for the past thirthy-one plus
years and counting… My two kids, Vincent and Michelle, even though I can be somewhat demanding (OK – very
demanding) – all I can say that I have been blessed with what they have already
accomplished and what they have given to me already.
My three sisters, Concetta, Regina, and Maria who
still makes their big brother feel important and loved, even when we do not
talk as much as I like to, and of course to their families that make The
Godfather name something we can all laugh about!
Ronald, my extraordinary business partner and friend,
who has been there with me through the good times and the rough patches.
To all the people who
make up Homestar Financial Corporation,
as I am sure that one day that this dynamic and growing organization led by a
leader – Wes Hunt - who still believes that the “customer comes first”, will
one day be a household name
To my fellow sports officials, especially to Marv, Joe, Don, and Gabby - along
with the many others who I have been to “war” with on the hardwood floors and
the football fields – and especially
to the four guys on my football crew who have a challenge every night to make
sure I do not mess up anything – Steve,
Geoff, Matt and Roby.
My High School buddies
from Chaminade – Class of 1975, especially Fritz, Mark, Rich,
Jay, Peter, Steve, Chris, Steve, Mike
and the rest of the guys – as I am still remembering last year’s celebration of
our 40th Reunion – and with that a few of us are looking to have a
mini-reunion next summer – God Help Us!
My Sig Ep Fraternity
Brothers, especially to Bob, Al, and my brother-in-law Greg
- along with the many others who we
are always still pretending we are still in college.
My friends from “The
Fair”, especially to Bob, Rich, Ray, Bill, David, and
Steve, along with the many other countless people that I have failed to
mentioned.
To Friends and Family,
Pastors, and fellow believers, who are there always to support me
during the fun times and when the going gets tough.
And to God who has blessed me with so many gifts to continue in his name all
that I do – to be the best I can be.
And last, but certainly
not least, I’d like to say how deeply grateful I am for your
support and love. There are many
that are not on this list and even others that I have forgot to mention – but
to connect with you are just as meaningful as those mentioned above. I cherish all of you. And for
those of you who keep opening all my emails, you may not connect with me
directly, although - I invite you to do that at any time - I would like to
thank you for the blessings of your attention.
This Thanksgiving, ask
your friends and family what they are thankful for, and share in the wealth of
their gratitude. It is a joyous
holiday, and I will be sharing it with my friends and family as I take off a
few days to rest, relax and recharge.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.
In Gratitude,
Bart Castelli
aka The Godfather
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